


The Sweet Life

by ArtemisRae



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Belated birthday fic, F/M, Gen, Piper is there too, also prompt fic, i never read hoo idk how to characterize though, it's just ridiculous fluffy fic okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 14:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11899482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisRae/pseuds/ArtemisRae
Summary: Percy spends his birthday in the hospital with an emotional Annabeth and it's still only like the 5th worst birthday he's ever had.





	The Sweet Life

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fic: “Under all that lameness there’s a tiny dot of cool in you. Very tiny. Microscopic, really.”

Later - much later, after the phone call, and the panic, and the crying, and the orthopedics consult, and the struggle to get comfortable - Percy curled around Annabeth on the bed and reflected that maybe it hadn’t been the worst birthday either one of them had ever gone through.

Of course, they’d literally spent one of her birthdays in Tartarus, and who could forget his very memorable sixteenth birthday with the whole prophecy child thing, so Percy could concede they had a different scale for judgement, but all the same.

When he’d first gotten the phone call from Piper though, it had felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He’d left work, and rushed to the hospital only to find that she had been injured badly enough to actually be admitted.

Piper met him outside her room, took one look at his face, and put a hand on his shoulder, barring him from  immediately entering. “Hey, Percy, hey,” she said, and there was just enough Charmspeak laced in her voice to make him take a step back, when just moments before he’d been fully prepared to physically throw his friend if it meant getting to Annabeth faster.

She looked beat up - her clothing was dirty and torn in some places. There were a couple splotches that Percy recognized as blood. His eyebrows creased, but before he could ask if she was okay Piper continued.

“Annabeth’s okay,” she said firmly, gripping his arm. “She’s totally okay, we’re arranging for Will to come out tomorrow and maybe help things along, but she’s _really upset_ , so I need you to be less upset than she is, can you do that?”

“Of course,” Percy agreed, eager to get around her and get to his girlfriend. Piper’s hold on his arm tightened.

“Listen to me,” she said firmly, enunciating like a professor insisting that _this is going to be on the test_. “She’s on some pain medication. I made them give her the same stuff they gave my dad when he broke his ribs last year. It’s the good stuff. It’s made her a liiiiiiittle emotional.”

A fact he discovered for himself when he walked through the door to be greeted with Annabeth crying, “Percy! You’re okay!” and bursting into a fresh wave of tears.

“Yeah,” Piper sighed next to him. “She’s been crying on me for like the last hour.”

“Um, you’re the one in traction.” Percy leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. Her leg was braced in an aircast and propped on top of several rolled up blankets. He had known that they were out on their bikes, and already images of gorgons and manticores were playing in his mind. “What happened? What attacked you?”

"A BMW,” Annabeth answered tearfully.

Percy looked up at Piper for explanation. “We were going to get wine for tonight. Some asshole ran us right off the road. Annabeth actually went down the embankment though.”

He took a cautious seat on the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Same ankle?”

“And fibula,” Annabeth answered miserably.  “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry Percy.”

“Why are you _apologizing_?” Percy asked incredulously, looking to Piper for support.

She was absolutely no use at all, clearly looking for something on her phone, judging by the way she was using her thumb to scroll.

“It’s your birthday!” His shirt was soaking with her tears. “I had a _plan!_  It was going to be _perfect!_ I bought _underwear!”_

Piper wasn’t going to help, but she was clearly still listening judging by how her eyebrows rose at that last statement.

“Listen,” she hiccuped, and tried to sit up. Her hand fisted in his shirt, looking for support, and Percy tried not to wince as he heard seams popping in the neckline. “I still want you to have the underwear. Go home in the back of the closet and open the pink box.”

“Annabeth,” he said patiently, fighting off a rising tide of panic. He’d always felt useless when faced with a crying Annabeth. “Babe, it doesn’t work that way.”

“Fine!” she insisted, still pulling at his shirt. “Fine, go home and get the underwear and bring them back here and I’ll put them on!”

“What, under your hospital gown?!”

Annabeth punched him in the chest. “Like we’ve never done it in an infirmary bed before!”

With that, Piper rocketed to her feet. She swiftly leaned over, kissed Annabeth’s forehead, and rushed out the door, babbling, “I’ll see you later Annabeth Percy clearly has the situation under control I’ll check in later love you byyyyyy _eeeeeee_.”

The last word was sang behind a shut door.

“You’re the worst.” Percy called after her.

It felt like it took forever to calm her down. Every time she’d be reduced to sniffles someone else would come in - the orthopedic surgeon, a nurse, even his mother - and she’d suddenly remember that it was Percy’s birthday and dissolve into tears again.

Blessedly, he managed to defer any talk about Annabeth’s birthday underwear in front of Sally.

Just before quiet hours, right after Sally left, Piper reappeared, peering cautiously around the doorframe. “How’s it going in here?”

Percy shrugged. Annabeth had been calm for some time, but he suspected that the pain medication was wearing off. She seemed restless and uncomfortable.

“I spoke to Will.” Piper came into the room fully, carrying a small white box wrapped with twine. “He’s going to come up tomorrow and we’ll officially transfer her care to camp’s infirmary.”

Which meant she could start a course of ambrosia and nectar and avoid the surgery that the orthopedic doctor had been talking about.

“And since Annabeth wanted to make sure you celebrated your birthday -” Annabeth let out an audible whimper, “-I also brought you something. To celebrate.”

Percy reached out and took the box, giving Piper a warning glare that clearly said, _If there’s a pair of panties in this box so help me…._

His fears went unrealized; inside were two cupcakes, with soft blue icing piled high and coated with sprinkles.

“Shall we sing?” Piper asked brightly.

He demurred, but Annabeth perked up. “We should, it’s your _birthday_!”

“You already sang,” Percy told her flatly. The lie wouldn’t work for long but he was hoping he could distract her before she could figure that out. He reached out and plucked a cupcake out of the box, peeling it out of the wrapper and handing it to her. “Thanks Piper. You’re still the worst, but I guess under all that lameness there’s a tiny dot of coolness in you.”

She gave him a bright, unapologetic grin.  He rolled his eyes and held up his thumb and finger, pressed together. “Very tiny. Microscopic.”

“Love you too!” She slung her purse back over her shoulder. “I’ll be back with Will tomorrow, I just wanted you two to be able to celebrate a little even though Annabeth didn’t have her underwear.”

“Can you not?” But Annabeth was fully engrossed in her cupcake and didn’t seem upset at the reminder of her carefully laid plans for his birthday.

Until - she dropped her cupcake down her front and looked up at him, betrayed. “I _did not_ sing to you!”


End file.
